2011 NBA Playoffs: My Conference Finals Preview

Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs, as I predicted, took out the defending-champs (in a sweep!) behind Dirk Nowitzki dominating Pau Gasol and its blistering outside shooting. OKC, meanwhile, survived a fight against upstart Memphis and Zach Randolph, but rode Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in Game 7 to victory this afternoon.

The key in this series will lie in the front-court, and on the backboards. Both teams can light it up on the scoreboard, so whichever team can get extra possessions by grabbing offensive rebounds and getting tip-ins will have an advantage. And although, OKC has the quickness and athleticism on the perimeter to cause problems for Dallas, I think Tyson Chandler and Dirk Nowitzki on the inside controlling the paint, along with Jason Terry, Peja Stojakovic, and Jason Kidd on the perimeter making threes, will propel the Mavs to the Finals.
Mavericks in 6

Eastern Conference
Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls
The Heat dispatched of the Celtics impressively in five games, riding LeBron and D-Wade (and also Bosh, who outplayed Garnett). The Bulls, meanwhile, withstood a scare from the lights-out shooting Hawks, riding MVP Derrick Rose. What a match-up this should be, with the last two MVPs meeting up, each looking for his first ring.

I think this series will come down to one match-up: at the power forward position with Chicago's Carlos Boozer against Chris Bosh. For Chicago to have a chance to win this series, Boozer must outplay Bosh on the interior to take a little of the scoring burden off of Derrick Rose. Derrick Rose and Dwayne Wade should dominate their individual matchups, and although Luol Deng is a good player, who needs to continue to contribute by playing great defense and making timely offensive plays, LeBron will win that battle. So, the Bulls will need Boozer and Joakim Noah to control the paint, and stop the drives of Wade and James at the rim without fouling. Off the bench, neither team has great depth, but Miami's James Jones and Chicago's Kyle Korver are outstanding shooters, who will play a role in keeping driving lanes open for Wade/James/Rose.
Ultimately, I think the two-headed monster LeBron and Wade and Miami's great team defense will be too much to handle for the Bulls, which tend to struggle offensively when Rose is not getting much help.
Heat in 7


Last round: 3-1
Playoffs record: 9-3